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M. Brent Hawkins

@homeobox.bsky.social

340 followers 300 following 73 posts

Developmental genetics and evolution of the vertebrate skeleton. Postdoc in the Harris Lab at Boston Children's Hospital/Harvard Medical School. Every day is fin day. He/him/his.

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M. Brent Hawkins @homeobox.bsky.social · Jul 7

We take for granted that our hands have two sides and can articulate in an endless number of ways. But what about a fish’s fin? Can a fish know something “like the back of its fin,” or have its future told with a fin palm reading? Check out this bluetorial to find out 👇🧪🧬🐟 doi.org/10.1101/2025...

Schematics depicting the dorsal and ventral sides of fins and limbs

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Reposted by M. Brent Hawkins

Braasch Lab @ Michigan State University @fishevodevogeno.bsky.social · 11d

Hello #fish 🐟 🐠 researchers and PIs of tomorrow! We would be excited to sponsor you for an Ecology, Evolution and Behavior (EEB) Presidential #Postdoc Fellowship application @michiganstateu.bsky.social. Application deadline is Nov 10, so get in touch soom!

#EndlessFishMostBeautiful

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Reposted by M. Brent Hawkins

Benoit Bruneau @benoitbruneau.bsky.social · 12d

transport yourself to the late 90s with this really cool paper on digit number regulation by Shh and BMP, ZPA and AER. www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Dual Bmp-negative feedback loops modulate function of both AER and ZPA to buffer and constrain postaxial digit number | PNAS

Several lines of evidence indicate that posterior (postaxial) digit number in tetrapod vertebrates is constrained to the pentadactyl state by inter...

www.pnas.org

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M. Brent Hawkins @homeobox.bsky.social · 12d

It is beautiful 🥲

Javier Lazaro - illustration @lazaroillustration.bsky.social · 13d

"Fishman", proposal for a journal cover.
Commissioned by MY Dennis' lab @mydennis.bsky.social for a study focused on identifying human-specific gene duplications and their role in brain evolution using genomics and zebrafish as model. @dcsoto.bsky.social
#art #digitalart #sciart #fish

Illustration of a fishman creature with human limbs and fish head and tail, interacting with a DNA string

Reposted by M. Brent Hawkins

Rita Mateus @ritamateus.bsky.social · 13d

We will be taking phD students this round!! Apply to our @mpi-cbg.de phD programme and #growwithus

Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics @mpi-cbg.de · 13d

Our call for PhD students within our International Max Planck Research School for Cell, Developmental and Systems Biology is open! Apply until October 28th. We are looking forward hearing from you! imprs.mpi-cbg.de

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Reposted by M. Brent Hawkins

Martin Minarik @martinvs.bsky.social · 13d

My favourite figure from our new paper on lateral line development in Sterlet sturgeon (doi.org/10.7554/eLif...). In this one, we use targeted gene knockout and show that in (mosaic) absence of FoxG1, ectopic electroreceptors develop instead of mechanosensory hair cells!

#fishsci #evo-devo #CRISPR

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Reposted by M. Brent Hawkins

John Timmer @jtimmer.bsky.social · 20d

The paper: the genetic program that enables digit formation in limbs is derived from the system that drives cformation of the cloaca.

Me, the headline writer:

A headline reading: "You can hold on to your butts thanks to DNA that evolved in fish"

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Reposted by M. Brent Hawkins

Ars Technica @arstechnica.com · 20d

Distinct digits may have evolved by using DNA that makes the cloaca

Making digits seems to involve gene activity that was needed to make a cloaca.

arstechnica.com

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Reposted by M. Brent Hawkins

Carl Zimmer @carlzimmer.com · 20d

How Did Hands Evolve? The Answer Is Behind You. (My story of some surprising evo-devo!) nyti.ms/42Cg8xH

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Reposted by M. Brent Hawkins

Neil Shubin @neilshubin.bsky.social · 21d

Congrats to Aurelie Hinterman aurhin.bsky.social, Chase Bolt chasebolt.bsky.social, and Brent Hawkins @homeobox.bsky.social!

Coverage in NYTimes by @carlzimmer.com: www.nytimes.com/2025/09/17/s...

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Reposted by M. Brent Hawkins

Chase Bolt @chasebolt.bsky.social · 21d

Our work exploring a new explanation for the regulation of Hoxd genes and the #fin-to-limb transition. 🧪

It was an absolute joy working on this w/ @aurhin.bsky.social and @homeobox.bsky.social @denisduboule.bsky.social @neilshubin.bsky.social

#evo-devo #InHoxWeTrust

How Did Hands Evolve? The Answer Is Behind You.

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by M. Brent Hawkins

Denis Duboule @denisduboule.bsky.social · 21d

Out today. 🙏 again to everyone for this wonderful piece of work, in particular to Aurelie @aurhin.bsky.social Chase @chasebolt.bsky.social and Brent @homeobox.bsky.social. 🙏 also to the Harris lab @fish4walking.bsky.social and @neilshubin.bsky.social @biology-unige.bsky.social @college-de-france.fr

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Reposted by M. Brent Hawkins

Aurelie Hintermann @aurhin.bsky.social · 21d

Are digits modified fins, or evolutionary innovations? Read how we tackled this old question from a new angle🧪
A story with @chasebolt.bsky.social, @homeobox.bsky.social and myself, coordinated by @denisduboule.bsky.social from @college-de-france.fr and published in @nature.com today!
#InHoxWeTrust

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M. Brent Hawkins @homeobox.bsky.social · 21d

A few more mutations and maybe my fish can write it themselves!

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M. Brent Hawkins @homeobox.bsky.social · 23d

Last Friday I was hosted by @phernandez.bsky.social @evolvwing.bsky.social to give departmental seminar at GWU Biology. Exciting to hear about the great evo-devo being done there by wonderful people in a beautiful city. And future collaborations!Thank you for having me!

A person stands at a podium in front of a screen

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M. Brent Hawkins @homeobox.bsky.social · 27d

Congrats Ale!

Reposted by M. Brent Hawkins

Ale Mongera @mongeralab.bsky.social · 27d

📣Our project, “Mechanometabolic Control of Vertebrate Limb Elongation,” has been funded by Wellcome!
Over the next 8 years, we’ll collaborate with @manningresearch.bsky.social and Nathalie Agar’s group to understand the mechanics of ECM-rich mesenchymal tissues! Funded positions available!🎉

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M. Brent Hawkins @homeobox.bsky.social · Sep 3

Thank you Anna! I wish we could do single cell analysis in loaches like you have done in bats!

M. Brent Hawkins @homeobox.bsky.social · Sep 3

Thanks Estefania! Please let me know if the students have any questions

M. Brent Hawkins @homeobox.bsky.social · Sep 3

Thank you Hannah!

Reposted by M. Brent Hawkins

Rita Mateus @ritamateus.bsky.social · Sep 1

We have a fully funded 3y postdoc position open!!!! Come join us @mpi-cbg.de and @poldresden.bsky.social to understand the role of Membranes in Controlling Biogenic Crystallization :) this is part of our #HFSP funded project with @noemijimenezrojo.bsky.social and @vmonje.bsky.social! Applications👇

Max-Planck-Gesellschaft @maxplanck.de · Sep 1

The #MaxPlanckPostdocProgram offers a guaranteed contract of at least 3 years, targeted mentoring, and career workshops. The call for applications is open now! 🚀 Take advantage of this opportunity and browse the job vacancies. www.mpg.de/en/max-planc...

Group photo of postdocs conducting research at a Max Planck Institute

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M. Brent Hawkins @homeobox.bsky.social · Aug 29

But which is the ancestral condition for life scientists?

Reposted by M. Brent Hawkins

Eric Surette @ericsurette.bsky.social · Aug 26

Hello Bluesky: Long time listener, first time poster! Excited to share the first publication of my Ph.D. work studying the development of appendage shapes in @plosbiology.org! The zebrafish caudal fin is quite distinctive, and we examine the timing and mechanisms of how its shape might come to be!

PLOS Biology @plosbiology.org · Aug 26

Caudal fins show great variation in shape between diverse fish species. New research reveals that #developmental cues in embryonic tissues involving the Sonic hedgehog pathway imprint fin #morphology, highlighting a critical window for modulating appendage morphology. 🧪
plos.io/4mydLnA

Brightfield image of an adult zebrafish caudal fin displaying a “truncate” shape and aberrant pigment pattern. This individual was exposed to transient overexpression of transgenic sonic hedgehog a at 2 days post fertilization, resulting in increased growth of rays at the center of the fin and disruption of the normally horizontal pigment stripes. Credit: Eric Surette and Stephanie Robinson.

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M. Brent Hawkins @homeobox.bsky.social · Aug 12

So cool to think about dorsal-ventral patterning in plants versus animals. How did these independent experiments in multicellularity solve a similar problem? 🤯🌼🐠

闵娅(Min Ya; Minya) PhD @minyaaa.bsky.social · Aug 7

I’m proud to present the main work from my postdoc, 3+ years in making from scratch, my ultimate #MimulusPropaganda up till now:

The Moment
That
Symmetry
Breaks.

#plantscience #development #imaging #microscopy 🧪🌸🔬
w. Captain Yaowu & @biancatash.bsky.social

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

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M. Brent Hawkins @homeobox.bsky.social · Jul 18

Myomeres in the sky

A cloud formation that resembles the chevron shape of vertebrate segmented muscle blocks

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M. Brent Hawkins @homeobox.bsky.social · Jul 15

Thank you Aurelie!!