Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by RobertoFeuda

James Briscoe @jamesbriscoe.bsky.social · 1d

The @crick.ac.uk is recruiting Early Career Group Leaders

- Lab set-up, research costs, salaries for up to 5 researchers
- Support for up to 12 years
- Access to our core facilities
- Competitive salary
- Fantastic colleagues
- All areas of biology

Deadline 27 Nov

www.crick.ac.uk/careers-stud...

Early career group leaders

We appoint researchers from across biology and biomedicine to set up their first groups at the Crick.

www.crick.ac.uk

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RobertoFeuda @robertofeuda.bsky.social · 1d

Our latest: combining single-cell RNA-seq from 16 species and HCR validation, we show that monoaminergic neurons share a conserved transcriptional identity across Bilateria. In contrast, we find no evidence for this program in non-bilaterian metazoans. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Monoaminergic neurons share transcriptional identity across Bilaterian animals

The evolutionary conservation of cell types over deep time has long been theorised but remains difficult to demonstrate. Monoaminergic neurons, which produce molecules such as serotonin and dopamine, ...

www.biorxiv.org

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Philip Ball @philipcball.bsky.social · 3d

I adored writing this piece. It brings together several of the things preoccupying me right now, like chromatin organization and gene regulation. There's so much more to be said on that. Also, these marine critters look gorgeous.
www.quantamagazine.org/loops-of-dna...

Loops of DNA Equipped Ancient Life To Become Complex | Quanta Magazine

New work shows that physical folding of the genome to control genes located far away may have been an early evolutionary development.

www.quantamagazine.org

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Thibaut Brunet @thibautbrunet.bsky.social · Sep 9

New short paper from our lab @currentbiology.bsky.social, in which we discover of a new mode of cell motility for choanoflagellates: flagellar gliding. www.cell.com/current-biol... - A 🧵

Flagellar gliding in choanoflagellates

Freire-Delgado and Brunet discover a new mode of cell motility in choanoflagellates, the closest relatives of animals. Under mild confinement, choanoflagellate move over surfaces without cell deformat...

www.cell.com

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RobertoFeuda @robertofeuda.bsky.social · Aug 22

Our latest: We optimized SPLiT-Seq for insect brains!

Check out our new protocol in Methods in Molecular Biology—tailored single-cell transcriptomics for insect neuroscience link.springer.com/protocol/10....

An Optimized SPLiT-Seq Protocol for Insects

Single-cell RNA-sequencing revolutionized our approach of transcriptomic studies, enabling to analyze gene expression across cell type in a tissue. Here we introduce an optimized cell dissociation and...

link.springer.com

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Ferdinand Marlétaz @ferdix.bsky.social · Aug 13

After nearly twenty years in the making, our attempt at understanding what makes the chaetognath phylum so unique has finally been published! www.nature.com/articles/s41...
with #LauraPiovani @dariagavr.bsky.social @alexdemendoza.bsky.social @chemamd.bsky.social and others /1

The genomic origin of the unique chaetognath body plan - Nature

Genomic, single-cell transcriptomic and epigenetic analyses show that chaetognaths, following extensive gene loss in the gnathiferan lineage, relied on newly evolved genes and lineage-specific tandem ...

www.nature.com

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James Briscoe @jamesbriscoe.bsky.social · Aug 4

A Summer reading recommendation: new primer in @dev-journal.bsky.social explains how dynamical systems theory unlocks the logic of developmental patterning

Everything from bistable switches & oscillators to phase portraits & more with Python code to explore

journals.biologists.com/dev/article/...

From genes to patterns: five key dynamical systems concepts to decode developmental regulatory mechanisms

Summary: Dynamical systems theory provides a powerful quantitative and intuitive framework to understand developmental processes. This Primer brings key concepts of this framework to the ever-growing ...

journals.biologists.com

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Alex de Mendoza @alexdemendoza.bsky.social · Jul 28

Happy to see our latest work out in @molbioevol.bsky.social. We revisit the evolution of 5-methylcytosine across neglected eukaryotic supergroups, establishing an ancestral repressive role silencing genome invaders, both transposons and viral elements👾: academic.oup.com/mbe/advance-... 🧵 1/7

Repressive cytosine methylation is a marker of viral gene transfer across divergent eukaryotes

Abstract. Cytosine DNA methylation patterns vary widely across eukaryotes, with its ancestral roles being understood to have included both transposable ele

academic.oup.com

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Iñaki Ruiz-Trillo @multicellgenome.bsky.social · Jul 28

✨Animal evolution fans, rejoice! CRISPR-Cas9 is now in Corallochytrium ready to unlock secrets of animal origins! 🔬Led by @patriciasuarez.bsky.social & @sebasn1.bsky.social
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/... @royalsociety.org @ibe-barcelona.bsky.social#holozoans #ProtistsonSky

CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing in Corallochytrium limacisporum,a key species for understanding animal origins | Open Biology

Microbial holozoans are the closest unicellular relatives of animals. They share a substantial gene repertoire with animals and exhibit complex life cycles. Studying these organisms is crucial for und...

royalsocietypublishing.org

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Rhodri Cusack @rhodricusack.bsky.social · Jul 19

Ireland launches global talent fund! www.researchireland.ie/funding/glob...
If you're a neuroscience professor (assistant/associate/full) and would consider relocating to the vibrant and booming city of Dublin, please get in touch!

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James Gahan @jgahan.bsky.social · Jul 16

We are looking for new colleagues to come join us in Galway as group leaders (Junior and Senior). The Centre for Chromosome Biology is a great place and it is a good time to join. Please reach out if you want to chat about the opportunity!
www.nature.com/naturecareer...

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Camp Lab @graycamplab.bsky.social · Jul 11

Neuron programming! Pro-neural TFs + 480 morphogen conditions + scRNA-seq --> Diverse iN subtypes of forebrain, midbrain, hindbrain, spinal cord, and PNS. @hsiuchuanlin.bsky.social‬ @jasperjanssens.bsky.social‬ and Treutlein Lab! @science.org www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... #NGN2 #ASCL1

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Jake Cornwall-Scoones @jcornwallscoones.bsky.social · Jul 3

Can using synthetic approaches to build biology help teach us the design principles of how embryos build themselves? 👷‍♀️🔧

If this is a question that interests you, come and share your thoughts at this Royal Society Workshop on Generative Biology

royalsociety.org/science-even...

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Nature @nature.com · Jul 1

The decades-old limit on how long human embryos can be grown in culture is under debate

https://go.nature.com/448yuYw

Human embryo research: how to move towards a 28-day limit

The decades-old limit on how long human embryos can be grown in culture is under debate. A new road map outlines how to extend the length of culture responsibly.

go.nature.com

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Pawel Burkhardt @pawelburkhardt.bsky.social · Jun 28

Our new paper is out: "The 3D architecture of the ctenophore aboral organ & the evolution of complex integrative centers in animals.

We reveal a remarkable cell type diversity, nerve net condensation, a multilayered circuit & gene expression profiles.

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... #ctenophores

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Thiago Carvalho @cyrilpedia.bsky.social · Jun 24

'(...) there is no established resource for group leaders to improve their lab culture with concrete action points for implementation. Here, we introduce the SAFE Labs Handbook: a collection of thirty “commitments” which can be verifiably actioned without requiring institutional support.'
#Preprint

www.biorxiv.org

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Christopher Wheat @chriswheat.bsky.social · Jun 22

🚨Postdoc opportunity🚨: LepEU postdoc: comparative population genomics of European scale adaptation in butterflies

2 year, full-time PD in my group, Stockholm Univ.

Applications assed on rolling basis, deadline: 23 August 2025. Planned start 1 Oct.

Details:
christopherwheatlab.wordpress.com

The aim of this proposal is to place population genomic insights into a comparative framework to gain fundamental insights into the determinants of evolutionary outcomes. The project will work within LepEU, the European Lepidopteran Population Genomics Consortium (https://lepeu.github.io/). LepEU provides access to field samples from European populations of diverse species. Chromosome-scale reference genomes are provided by Project Psyche (https://www.projectpsyche.org/). Networking during the postdoc will be facilitated by participation in the 10kLepGenomes COST Action (https://10klepgenomes.eu/). Existing datasets await analysis, while additional samples need DNA extraction and submission for sequencing. Functional validation capability (CRISPR/Cas9 gene manipulations) is also available to test emergent hypotheses of allele-to-phenotype impacts. Personal research interests of the postdoc will be important to determine the exact project, as the project has a generous sequencing budget.

The successful applicant should have a PhD (obtained within 6 years of the application deadline) in a suitable subject area, such as evolutionary biology or population genomics. A strong interest in population genomics, local adaptation, comparative analyses, and experience working with genomic-scale data is essential. The candidate must have a documented publication record demonstrating relevant skills. Experience working with bioinformatic pipelines (e.g., Snakemake), or working with butterflies is welcome but not essential. The net salary is 28,000 SEK/month (~2,430 Euro, not subject to Swedish income tax) and comes directly from the Carl-Trygger Foundation stipend, which is paid out directly to the postdoc. Only PhD candidates acquired outside of the host department can apply. Currently, the lab of Prof. Wheat consists of 3 postdoctoral researchers, while the Dept. of Zoology provides a vibrant and excellent research environment of active, dynamic researchers.

Applications should include: i) a succinct description of research interests and experience, detailing your contribution to any relevant publications (max 1 page), ii) why you are the ideal candidate for this position in the lab (max 1 page); iii) a CV including a list of publications, and iv) the name and contact information of two personal references.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis with a deadline of 23 August 2025. The project is planned to start on 1 October, but flexibility in the starting date can be provided for a suitable candidate. Please contact Prof. Wheat for additional information.

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RobertoFeuda @robertofeuda.bsky.social · Jun 18

Well done Steve!

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Reposted by RobertoFeuda

Stephen F. Goodwin @stephenfgoodwin.bsky.social · Jun 9

New preprint from the lab www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... A molecular atlas of the Drosophila central brain links transcriptional identity to development, anatomy, and behaviour, revealing stable transcription factor codes and a temporal cascade marking birth order.

A High-Resolution Atlas of the Brain Predicts Lineage and Birth Order Underly Neuronal Identity

Gene expression shapes the nervous system at every biological level, from molecular and cellular processes defining neuronal identity and function to systems-level wiring and circuit dynamics underlyi...

www.biorxiv.org

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Stephen F. Goodwin @stephenfgoodwin.bsky.social · Jun 9

New preprint from lab: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... Sexual dimorphism arises not through wholesale transcriptional reprogramming, but via selective sex-specific survival of neurons defined by birth order and shared developmental programs.

A Role for Exaptation in Sculpting Sexually Dimorphic Brains from Shared Neural Lineages

Sex differences in behaviours arise from variations in female and male nervous systems, yet the cellular and molecular bases of these differences remain poorly defined. Here, we take an unbiased, sing...

www.biorxiv.org

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Jeff Farrell @jeffreyafarrell.bsky.social · Jun 13

If you love Daniocell, but wish it could generate analyses specific to YOUR genes & cell types of interest, check out DaniocellDesktop - a new point-and-click app for Mac and Windows that enables reanalysis of the Daniocell data without programming: daniocell.nichd.nih.gov/desktop/ (1/4)

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Andreas Prokop @poppi62.bsky.social · Jun 13

Towards more sustainable research: reducing the environmental impact when working with #Drosophila. Challiner, Saurya., Patel, Raff, Fostier, Prokop, A. (2025) @genetics-gsa.bsky.social‬, in press -- doi.org/10.1093/gene... - Always happy to discuss and hear your ideas and views!

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Lucia Prieto Godino @neuroluci.bsky.social · Jun 12

How do brain circuits evolve? We started looking for some answers by using synapse-resolution cross-species comparative connectomics on an entire olfactory circuit 👇

bit.ly/44aVm9E

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RobertoFeuda @robertofeuda.bsky.social · Jun 12

It's that time of year
www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Dolce vita: a four-step guide to stress-free holidays from academia

Three-month summer holidays as a child in northwest Italy helped Stefano Sandrone to hone his relaxation and holiday-planning skills. Here’s his advice for scientists.

www.nature.com

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Chema Martin @chemamd.bsky.social · Jun 2

Check out our latest work‼️Fantastic study with really cool data and findings led by @allancarbal.bsky.social in collaborarion with Stephan’s lab. The one and many ways of getting a belly…

Allan Carrillo-Baltodano @allancarbal.bsky.social · Jun 2

It's finally here! Great start of the summer. We got our latest preprint from @chemamd.bsky.social in @qmulsbbs.bsky.social @qmulse.bsky.social, showing evidence of developmental system drift in the specification of dorsoventral (belly vs back) axis in annelids 🪱🪱🪱
#DevBio #EvoDevo

Image shows larvae of four different species of marine annelid worms, stained for muscle (magenta) and cilia (yellow). All with lateral views, with the mouth towards the left, and the future head pointing up. Images are to scale.

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